Dome damage substantial

BATON ROUGE - Although there are electrical problems and some floodwaters still standing in the Superdome (Katrina photos: Superdome), state officials Tuesday said the future of the building is still undetermined.

But they did say this: Damages to the structure could hit $400 million - and it's not likely the facility could even be used for at least a year.

Superdome Commission Chairman Tim Coulon said the Dome will hire engineers and other consultants to do an assessment of the structural stability and other aspects of the stadium. That will be done in the next few weeks, Coulon said.

Besides flooding, the Dome lost part of its roof as more than 20,000 evacuees huddled in the facility in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"We have to do a damage assessment first, '' Coulon said. "It is premature to write the Dome off. But there has been substantial damage.''

Damages may total $400 million but a precise figure will not be available for weeks, Coulon said.

"There is still some standing water in some areas in the Dome, '' he said. "Some water has gotten into the new scoreboards. . . .I don't see the Dome being used at all for at least a year.''

Coulon refused to say if he or state officials prefer to demolish the Dome or try to renovate it. The engineering study and assessment will help determine the course, he said

Doug Thornton, a regional vice president with SMG - the company which manages the Dome and the nearby New Orleans Arena for the state - said the Dome's interior was trashed during the evacuation and has to be decontaminated before engineers look at the structure.

"It may take us two to three weeks to get it cleaned up, '' Thornton said. He said it may take another 45 days to determine how sound the structure is.

"Seventy percent of the roof is leaking, '' Thornton said.

"Evacuees broke into the suites, commissary areas and into offices looking for food, '' he said.

Thornton said the Arena fared better.

It has some water-soaked carpeting, tiles and other areas, but he said it is possible the facility - home to the New Orleans Hornets and several concerts each year - could be back in operation "in the first quarter of 2006.''

Coulon said the Dome - well a new or renovated - will be part or a redeveloped and revitalized New Orleans.

"It will be part of an entertainment-sports complex which will be a major component'' of a rebuilt New Orleans, he said.

But, he added, compared to flooded streets and homes, homeless residents and possibly thousands of deaths, the stadium is "a second- or third-tier item.''

On a related matter, New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson said to "the extent circumstances allow'' would like to keep the team in Louisiana and play its home games at LSU.